The volleyball team saw disappointing results this weekend, falling to Princeton, 3-0, on Friday night and to Penn, 3-1, the following afternoon. With the losses, Brown drops to 5-15 overall this season and 1-8 in the Ivy League.
Princeton 3, Brown 0
Princeton dominated the first set as it earned a 25-16 victory. Despite the strong performance of Spencer McAndrews '12, who totaled 13 assists, two digs and two kills, the Bears were unable to match up against the Tigers, falling 25-15 and 25-14 for the sweep.
Brianna Williamson '11 powered the Bears' attack with nine kills and six digs. Katrina Post '13 and Ann Cowell '10 earned six and five kills, respectively. Carly Cotton '13 held down the defense with a team-high 13 digs.
With the win, the Tigers moved to 7-12 overall and 5-3 in the Ivy League.
Penn 3, Brown 1
The Bears had a tough start on Saturday afternoon as the Quakers took the first two sets, 25-18 and 25-16, respectively. Penn's momentum, seemingly carrying into the third set, was interrupted by Brown's encroachment on a 17-13 deficit. Tying the game at 21, Brown battled point for point, forcing Penn to make a series of errors. The errors proved fatal for Penn, as Brown stormed on for a 28-26 victory, bringing the score to 2-1. But Brown's success was hampered by a fourth-set loss, 25-18.
"I was very pleased with the way we competed against Penn," said Head Coach Diane Short. "They're undefeated in the Ivy League and we took a game away from them, so that was nice to see. It was a team effort, but two players in particular stand out in my mind: Ann Cowell, with her blocking and hitting, and Carly Cotton defensively."
Cowell added seven kills for the Bears' cause, and Cotton put up a strong fight on defense with 26 digs. Annika Gliottone '12 also had an impressive match, earning 13 assists and 17 digs and limiting Penn's attack to a .214 hitting percentage. Megan Toman '11 led the Bears on attack with 11 kills as Williamson, again, stepped up with eight kills and ten digs.
"Saturday we matched up against the Ivy League champs and we played with a lot of heart, the most heart our team has seen thus far," Williamson said. "I was really proud of the way we came out after Friday's loss. No one expected us to get a game off Penn."
Penn remains undefeated in the Ivy League at 9-0, and 18-4 overall this season.
The Bears are back on the road this weekend against Dartmouth on Friday night and Harvard on Saturday afternoon.
"We beat Dartmouth before, so I'm looking forward to seeing us use that confidence to do it again," said co-captain Danielle Vaughan '10. "Hopefully we can come home with two wins this weekend."
